Buying Advice Aurora Silent Diesel Generator

[TractorBob1529]

I'm looking to buy a generator for when the power goes out...it's a matter of time. I was lookin to buy a 3000-6000 watt unit for all my needs. Then I started doing research and that opened up a can of worms. Whole houe, tri-fuel, diesel, 1800rpm vs 3600 rpm...on and on. I kind of narrowed it down to a diesel powered 6kW Aurora Silent Diesel Genny for about $1600 plus shipping. Has anyone had any experience with this company or any suggestion on what to buy. I would like to know what kind of setup everybody has for when the power goes out. Oh, I would like to one day go off the grid...long term goal. Thanks.

 

[davel745]

I thought that the 15000 hours between rebuilds was a little low. Most as far as I know are rated for 30,000 hours.

 

[Monster5601]

I have a 14 kw Generac running on natural gas. The Generac is wired in using their automatic switch. When power goes (which is often) I just have to wait 30 seconds for the Generac to fire-up and take over. When the grid comes back, the Generac shuts down.

 

[IslandTractor]

I thought that the 15000 hours between rebuilds was a little low. Most as far as I know are rated for 30,000 hours.

If the 15000 hr figure is real then the Aurora is a bargain and must be very reliable. We love to disparage China diesel engines but don't forget they power more than half the world these days. Sure a JD based Lugger will be more reliable and last longer but it will also cost twenty times as much. If you are providing emergency power for a hospital it might be worth it but for home use a light duty diesel and proper maintenance make more sense. 15000 hrs seems high to me but even if it lasts 5000 hrs that is the equivalent of about five Honda or ten other brand gas generators. Not a bad deal.

 

[Toyboy]

I have a 14 kw Generac running on natural gas. The Generac is wired in using their automatic switch. When power goes (which is often) I just have to wait 30 seconds for the Generac to fire-up and take over. When the grid comes back, the Generac shuts down.

I have the same set up only mine is 20kw

 

[Gary Fowler]

Going off the grid by totally generating you own power with a fossil fueled generator is not economical by any meansiif you plan to keep all your modern amenities. Take a look at the full load fuel needed for even a 14Kw and you will see that it takes a lot of $$ to run one full time. Wind powered ones up front cost is staggering also along with solar panels. I just dont see it viable in the near future unless you just cant get power at all where you live.

 

[90cummins]

That winter we had a prolonged power outage and fired it up, at 41 hours the generator started shutting down due to low oil pressure.
Inspection found the oil filter to be full of metal. A teardown found the small end of the cam to be severely worn. The contamination required replacement of the cam, cam bearings & lifters along with the crank main & rod bearings.
It took me quite some time to find replacement parts. When I received the new parts I inspected the new cam and found it to be soft in the bearing & cam surfaces but I installed it & hoped for the best.
After running it for approx 5 hours at load I tore it down because of curiosity and found the new cam showing signs of impending failure in the same manner as the first. As I suspected the new cam was not properly manufactured and hardened and was showing wear.
I would stay away from the Chinese brands and buy a generator with a Genuine Yanmar diesel not a cheap clone!
Generators are needed during emergency痴 don稚 compromise here!
Be careful there are e-bay sellers out there selling these Chinese generators as having genuine Yanmar engines.
For more information and photos of the damage go the Yanmar forum and search Yanmar clones.
Forum for air cooled diesel engines and clones
90cummons

 

[BobRip]

15000 hours is 500 hours a year for thirty years. I hope your power is not off that much every year. The unit will probably rust out before then anyway. Do you keep Diesel around anyway?

 

[RoyJackson]

That winter we had a prolonged power outage and fired it up, at 41 hours the generator started shutting down due to low oil pressure.
Inspection found the oil filter to be full of metal. A teardown found the small end of the cam to be severely worn. The contamination required replacement of the cam, cam bearings & lifters along with the crank main & rod bearings.
It took me quite some time to find replacement parts. When I received the new parts I inspected the new cam and found it to be soft in the bearing & cam surfaces but I installed it & hoped for the best.
After running it for approx 5 hours at load I tore it down because of curiosity and found the new cam showing signs of impending failure in the same manner as the first. As I suspected the new cam was not properly manufactured and hardened and was showing wear.
I would stay away from the Chinese brands and buy a generator with a Genuine Yanmar diesel not a cheap clone!
Generators are needed during emergency痴 don稚 compromise here!
Be careful there are e-bay sellers out there selling these Chinese generators as having genuine Yanmar engines.
For more information and photos of the damage go the Yanmar forum and search Yanmar clones.
Forum for air cooled diesel engines and clones
90cummons

Good and informative post!

Chinese metals do leave much to be desired...and, it's apparent they haven't got heat treating down pat yet.

 

[JB4310]

Yes you did open a big can of worms

It is Chinese, I just had a bad experience with a little Chinese generator. But that was partly my own fault buying a used one (non diesel) that was way under priced.

As Bob pointed out, nothing wrong with the life expectancy, if it were true.

The good thing is that brand is one of the most popular now, and the price seems reasonable. There are all these idiots of craigslist trying to sell little diesel generators for absolutely stupid money. I've seen some for over $5,000.

A couple of years back I was at a contractors rental store and they had a bunch of Chinese diesel gennys in the fleet and said they were no problem.

I'm not real crazy about a diesel spinning at 3600 rpms, but there are alot of them out there now.

JB

 

[jenkinsph]

In that size genny I have an Onan commercial quiet diesel 5500w that has been flawless for the last 8 years. The Onan uses a Kubota engine turning 2800 rpm's so it isn't necessary to choose between 1800 or 3600 rpm as drive systems can alter the ratios easily. Better to have the engine run at its ideal rpm for economy and power.

Generators are something I consider to be a long term investment, so I prefer buying one that has good backing and support, Cummins, Onan and Kubota are all here for the long haul.

15,000 hours is alot of generator run time for home use and I doubt you would ever get close to those hours. My concern would be whether or not you can get warranty work with a failure at 150 hours or 1500 hours. So I guess it is hard to know whether to buy something like the Aurora for $1700 or put that towards a more costly Onan unit. If you buy the Aurora I hope it works out for you.

 

[IslandTractor]

I'm not real crazy about a diesel spinning at 3600 rpms, but there are alot of them out there now.

JB

Including just about anything made by Yanmar.

 

[IslandTractor]

15,000 hours is alot of generator run time for home use and I doubt you would ever get close to those hours. My concern would be whether or not you can get warranty work with a failure at 150 hours or 1500 hours. So I guess it is hard to know whether to buy something like the Aurora for $1700 or put that towards a more costly Onan unit. If you buy the Aurora I hope it works out for you.

Realistically, if the generator is for emergency use then even 100hrs per year average would be relatively high. Maybe down south you need 24hr A/C but in New England we manage to use emergency power for only 4-6hrs per day without trouble. Seven days a year without grid power would seem unusual on average too. Maybe 50hrs a year is a better more realistic estimate. For off grid use to top up batteries etc in conjuction with solar or wind would probably use only 500hrs/yr assuming relatively efficient appliances etc (1.5 hrs/day is about what a sailboat genny runs).

Seems to me that most of us would be better off with gas or propane powered emergency generators as 100hrs/year would still mean about ten years from a 5000-10000W gas engine powered unit costing $500-$1000. Gotta have some other reason than just emergency home backup to justify a diesel unit at three or four times the cost. I'm guesstimating that the average gas/propane powered generator based on the Honda GX or clone lasts about ten years/1000-2000hrs with average maintenance. That does seem where the best bang for the buck is. I know gasoline has its hassles as does propane compared to diesel but still it seems most economical even factoring those things in to the equation. Off the grid is a different matter.

 

[TractorBob1529]

I guess I did opened up a big can of worms! :confused2:
Glad to have gotten all the input and thoughs from everyone. Power where I live is pretty reliable and steady, but deep in the winter is when all the outage problems occur. The worst time for it to go out, especially when there are two kids in the house. I wanted a diesel genny to help suppliment solor/wind power later on down the road, but it looks like I would have to fork over a little more cash for a tired and proven unit. After some more brain scratching, it might be best to buy a comprable gas unit and save up for bigger size diesel unit. I guess anyone have any suggestion?

I usually have plenty of deisel around for my tractor....that was the other consideration for a diesel genny.

Let me know what you think.

 

[RoyJackson]

I guess I did opened up a big can of worms! :confused2:

I usually have plenty of deisel around for my tractor....that was the other consideration for a diesel genny.

Let me know what you think.

Why not a PTO genny?

 

[TimberXX]

Air cooled engines that run are propane or natural gas are supposed to live longer than ones that use gasoline.

Would you consider a unit like that?

Have you considered a PTO generator for now, then consider something later if you go off the grid?

Generac has a model that is designed to backup wind solar systems. Maybe something like this would work for you.

A lot of people talk down about generac, but I have one with a ton of hours and I love it.

 

[IslandTractor]

Why not a PTO genny?

Not sure about the OP but one reason is that winter storms require both emergency power and snow removal. Both are needed first thing in the morning so it might be inconvenient. Agree though that for some people the PTO solution is a good one. Another downside is that even a cheap PTO generator with trailer etc will cost twice what a decent gas generator costs.

 

[TractorBob1529]

I don't like the idea of running up the tractor hours to get electricity. If a genny fail, I still have my tractor. If my tractor fails I have no genny and no tractor. I like the LP standby gennys, but don't like the hassle of the LP man having to deliver LP when I run out. Looking for something that is cost effective really, that I can transition to off-grid power later. (Thinking big) I may never see that that day, but still dreaming of no power bill one day.

 

[jenkinsph]

I don't like the idea of running up the tractor hours to get electricity. If a genny fail, I still have my tractor. If my tractor fails I have no genny and no tractor. I like the LP standby gennys, but don't like the hassle of the LP man having to deliver LP when I run out. Looking for something that is cost effective really, that I can transition to off-grid power later. (Thinking big) I may never see that that day, but still dreaming of no power bill one day.

I think you will find that you would exchange a large power bill for a huge fuel bill. If you do this at all the way to do it is to sell power back to the grid up to the amount you use coming in. I like the concept but currently trying to generate your own power and or storing it is prohibitive in cost. If solar power becomes affordable the major utilities are in a better position to buy, install and distribute than individuals.. That is my take on it.

 

[BobRip]

I think you will find that you would exchange a large power bill for a huge fuel bill. If you do this at all the way to do it is to sell power back to the grid up to the amount you use coming in. I like the concept but currently trying to generate your own power and or storing it is prohibitive in cost. If solar power becomes affordable the major utilities are in a better position to buy, install and distribute than individuals.. That is my take on it.

I saw some figures on solar installation cost a few days ago. It was $5 / watt for home and I think $1 / watt for commercial. Since each home system is unique this makes sense. It looks like long term even the solar will be from central plants.